Philosophy Behind the Project

The goal of this program is primarily to inform students of the risks
involved with drug use, and secondarily to give them some preparation for
the state-mandated health exam.

Based on an experiential learning model, this program aims to offer
simulations of actual drug experiences. Whenever possible, the scenarios
presented in the program are based on actual drug user experiences
(http://www.erowid.org was our primary source, with its extensive archive of drug user experience
reports). Our goal is that the student will learn
what effects various drugs have on their bodies, without the necessity for them
to ever actually consume drugs. Additionally, since new illicit drugs are
constantly emerging, it was our goal for the program to be extensible, such
that it would be relatively easy for an educator to add up-to-date
information.

The state health exam focuses mainly on decision-making skills. Hence, in
the scenarios presented in the program, the user must make decisions which
affect the flow of the narrative. Some decisions will result in positive
outcomes, while others result in negative outcomes. Additionally, the
program has the ability to choose random consequences for each decision.
In this manner, we hope to illustrate the unpredictability inherent in
drug use.